August 7 Edition

Psalm 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

Birthdays this week include: Faye Jones (August 1), Jacob Brown (August 6), Kim Griffin, Justin Lash, and Jimmy Pennington (August 7), Termekia Smith and Becca Cowan (August 8).  Happy belated birthday to Reggie Wofford (July 31).

This month's issue of SEALife has a nice little article about ReNew Edinburg and the Farmer's Market we've enjoyed these past few weeks with several photos and an interview with Roger McClellan. Pick up a free copy at the store or at the surrounding libraries if you're interested.

By my calculations, the Thompson Reunion is this August 22 at the New Edinburg Community Center, and Reaves Cemetery Homecoming will be August 23 on site at the cemetery. Both are always excellent events.

More from the Cleveland County Historical Society's Book Schools of Cleveland County, Arkansas which traces the development and closing of all known schools in this county: "Hall School was constructed near Mt. Elba Church through the efforts and on the land of J. A. (Jack) Hall around 1900. Although he was blind, Hall traced out several areas of the school with his hands and said “well done” to the laborers. As a result of Hall’s remark, the school was call the Weldon School at times. Bess Low taught there when it was consolidated. Bob Tucker, a Civil War soldiers who lost his leg, also taught that the Hall School. When Mt. Elba Missionary Baptist Church was organized in October 1917, it first met in the school house. Hall School was consolidated with the Marks and Good Hope School to form the Hebron School District.

Good Hope, or Green Goose School, was known as the Piney Grove School before it was moved about a mile west. Then it was located on a hill just east of the home of Louise Mitchell on Highway 189 south. Pupils used slates and wrote on them with slate pencils. Their books, which they had to purchase on their own, included the Blue Back Speller, the McGuffey Reader, and Ray’s Arithmetic. The building had one room and was heated by a wood stove. Anna Rodgers Grice, among other students recalled going into the near-by woods and gathering dead limbs, pine knots and scraps of old logs or pieces of wood to burn. Students were seated on benches. Anna Rodgers Grice recalled spelling bees and ciphering (math) matches with other area schools. Among those taught there were Lela Mitchell Miller, Maud Hall Mitchell, Vaughn Knight McGhee and Clara Marks. It was later consolidated in Hebron School in 1922."

Thanks to the Historical Society for providing this information.

If you have stuff you want in this column, please get it to me before Monday for inclusion in that week's column.  This column will appear on the internet at http://WeAreTheEagles.blogspot.com.  Go Eagles.